


I must be bwave

by Mandraiv, Saomik



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Abandonment, Child Inquisitor, Children, Families of Choice, Ficlet, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Kid Fic, Orphans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-21 10:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3689073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mandraiv/pseuds/Mandraiv, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saomik/pseuds/Saomik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was no grown mage or warrior who came out of the rift in haven, but a small child. </p>
<p>Prompts and out-takes of a universe where a child had to carry the heavy burden of closing the Breach.</p>
<p>Also Cassandra's the Inquisitor (cause the child might be a symbol but it can't really lead armies)</p>
<p>[Contains spoilers for the main plot]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this was an idea me and a friend had. I posted it on kinkeme but no one took the prompt so I went ahead and wrote it myself.

Solas stalked out of the Chantry, bristling as he marched up to Cassandra. He had left the dungeon with the excuse of getting some air, but the truth was he could no longer stand the desperately incessant cries of the prisoner.The whole thing left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

“He’s awake” he said, snapping in anger even though it was missdirected at the seeker. He knew he had failed in his mission the moment he spotted his magic on the palm of the small body, still this was simply too much.

“Is it true then?” Cassandra asked, frowning as he nodded. When she pushed past him he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Be gentle, he’s still... Upset”.

\-------------------------

The screaming had toned down to a low-tuned whining and the occasional sob. Leliana was hunched down next to the prisoner, gently stroking his back and making soft cooing noises.

“Mamae…” the small form whimpered, his face hidden in his arms. “I wan’t my mamae”. Leliana looked up at Cassandra with an exasperated look and rose to join her at the door.

“He hasn’t said much” she said, her shoulders tense. Together they looked over to the small child, no older than five or seven at most, that lay crying on the floor of the dungeon. She didn’t really want the truth, but she had to ask. “He said he saw a woman”.

“Was there any other survivors?” she asked quietly, her voice tight around the words. Leliana simply shook her head and silence settled between them. 

“What do we Cassandra?” Leliana asked, voice pleading for some sort of reason to this mess. “We need him”. 

Cassandra had no answer.

\----------------------------

“My hand hurts…”

Cassandra sighed in exasperation. This was the third time in less minutes that the young dalish boy had uttered his complaints. Counting to ten she turned around and crouched infront of the small boy who was dutifully trudging along behind her.

“Look” she began, and as the boy stared up at him she faltered, unsure of what to say when she actually got his attention. “Child… I-”

“I’m Saomik” he said, lower lip sticking out in a pout. 

“Saomik” she said, if something so simple as calling him by his name could ease the burden if only a little, it was worth doing. They still had a way left to reach the others. “I need you to be brave, for now?” 

She managed to smile but the boy simply crossed his arms over his chest, the action looking ridiculous in his green mercenary garb (the only thing at hand close to fitting a boy that young).

“I want my mamae” he said. Cassandra frowned and looked away from him and fought not to sigh.

It wasn’t fair, but fairness seemed to have no part Still she had to get him to the Breach.

“Your mother is probably in Haven, don’t you think?”

When the child’s face lit up she almost wished the Maker would strike her down right then and there.

\---------------

Solas did not know when it had been decided that he watch the child. He thought he had been quite clear on the fact that yes, he was indeed an elf, but that did not automatically make him capable of handling a dalish child. 

Still here he was, watching over the child while the three counselors met with Roderick. He might even have considered it ironic that he, having not the least bit of experience with children except for in dreams, was saddled with the one wielding his magic.

“If they knew how far I’ve fallen…” he muttered to himself.

“What?” a small voice close to his ear inquired. 

“Nothing da’len” Solas said, snapping out of his reveries to look down at the boy resting on his hip. Saomik was leaning against the arm he had wrapped around him to support his back and was busy destroying Solas painting with his own ‘artwork’. He didn’t mind, it was an improvement to earlier.

Upon arriving in Haven the child had excitedly run off to look for his mother, only to come back to empty handed. When later he was informed (in a gentle voice by Cullen) that his mother was walking at the Makers side he had run off and hid between two barrels in the courtyard, angrily yelling at Cullen for being wrong, for lying.

Possible he would have been calmer not being told that a foreign god had taken his mother away Solas thought sourly 

Simply said he was glad the boy was in brighter spirits. 

“Excuse me!” a man called from behind them and he turned, ignoring the child cry of ‘Solas I wasn’t dooone!” to fix the elderly apothecary with a gaze. The other man hesitated, no doubt picking up on Solas’ mood.

“Yes?” he asked, voice steady even as Saomik brought a colourful hand up to smear at his flint. 

“It’s just that your son got into the herbs again” the man said, scratching awkwardly at his beard. “If you could keep him out”.

“My son..?” Solas asked, raising an eyebrow before realisation hit him. He looked down at Saomik, the child’s red hair sticking up in places and freckled face covered with paint.

Fenedhis.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saomik wakes up, gets up to mischeif and Cullen has a moment.

There were something immeasurable sad about the limp body of the so-called Herald of Andraste lying upon the bed in haven. The healer had dismissed himself, judging the boy to finally simply be in a restful sleep, much needed after all that had happened. For the moment he sleep in what had become Josephines office, during the day, being carried over from the bedrooms across the hall in the morning by Cullen.

They didn’t dare leave him on his own, not with all this excitement caused by Roderick and the crowd and all the commotion. Josephine had contacted the boys clan but it was doubtful that the courier had even reached them yet. There was no saying how long Saomik would remain as he was, still there was issues that had to be resolved before he did.

“We cannot risk everything by bringing him with us into battle” Cassandra said briskly, eyes narrowing on Solas.

“In normal circumstances I would have agreed Seeker, but Saomik is not a normal child” he replied, pushing the image of the unconscious child lying limp in the snow after temporarily closing the Breach. No he was not ordinary, no matter how much they all wished he could simply live the life he deserved away from all this. 

Even so, what childhood was to be had if they failed to save Thedas?

In the end they had settled on something of a compromise. Saomik was to be kept out of the battle, hiding only to emerge when the demons were defeated and the rifts ready for closing. As for the diplomatic missions…

“There is much to be gained by someone so innocent as Herald” Josephine mused. They had all heard the rumours around camp, about the ‘child of Andraste’. The fact that the child was an elf was conveniently forgotten. “Even if he cannot lead”. As proven by the child’s eager request of ‘pleeeaaaaseeee’ riding a dragon into battle.

\---------------

Josephine had a look of worry on her face as she closed the door to the war room behind her, instantly drawing Cassandras attention.

“Have you seen Saomik?” she asked and the seeker relaxed.

“Leliana’s watching him”

“No that’s just it” she said. “I asked her but she said it was your turn to watch him” but Cassandra was already out of her chair and heading for the door, curses’ escaping her lips. 

Saomik was an important child, yet a child with so many guardians easily slipped notice. He could tell Cassandra Josephine allowed him access to the kitchen, then happily stuff himself full of whatever sweets he could get his hands on until the other advisors discovered his schemes.

When they caught him this time, the child was trying to stealthily sneak out of Solas’ cabin, hands covered in blue paint. When Cassandra leaned down to grab him by his shoulders he paled in horror of being caught in the middle of his mischief.

“Saomik” she said, voice stern as she fixed him with a gaze. “What have I said about lying?” The boy lowered his gaze and kicked his foot in the muddy snow.

“It’s bad”. Cassandra nodded in approval. “But Solas wasn’t a proper dalish. So I fixed it”.

The seeker raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what he meant when the door was thrown open by an exasperated Solas, face covered in blue lines obviously made by the childs fingers.

“Saomik…” Solas began, voice full of reprimands, but the child had already run off, madly giggling with glee, hands flung up into the air, and “Dalish!” as his warcry.

\--------------

“Cullen did you really fight demons?” the child probed, blue eyes wide as he stared at the older man. After awakening he had been full of energy, bounding about Haven and bothering anyone and everyone he could with neverending questions. 

Most of Haven’s residents found him endearing, yet Cullen had tried to avoid him, running from the memories that the child awoke in him. Not surprisingly in only made Saomik more eager for attention and approval.

“I did” he replied, lowering his training sword to rub at his neck. “Though it wasn’t… I was protecting the mages”.

After being trapped in the cage for days he had hated them. Begging the Warden to kill them all. Women, children. It hand't mattered to him as long as they were mages. He still awoke at night, the memory of the Wardens eyes staring at him with shock and disgust.

Saomik seemed not to have noticed him drifting and hummed at this new knowledge. “Dalish don’t have Templars. Mamae don’t have one, she is the best mage”

“Oh is that so?” Cullen mumbled, still distracted, remembering the apprentices at the circle, eager to please the grown-ups. His sister had had children. Maker how long had it even been since he had replied to her letters?

“Cullen” Saomik groused, pulling at his red cloak. He must have tried to get his attention for some time. “What if I’m a mage? Do I get to pick my own templar? Can I pick anyone?”

His mind pulled to a stop. Kirkwall, Meredith demanding they all be slayed. 

“Hey tough guy!” Varric’s voice cut through his reverie, the dwarf swooping in and plucking the child up with hands around his waist. “I bet Curly's busy. Don’t you want to see the new horse Cassandra brought in?” He nodded towards Cullen who smiled back, thankful.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know that much about children, so I accept any tips and advice (and ideas) on children behaviour.


End file.
